Day 1: Chechs Place Vendôme in Paris

Princesses, by the dozen!

Dozens of gorgeous automobiles all lined up, side by side, at one of the world’s chicest, most prestigious locations. Dozens of teams, made up of the loveliest ladies, all princesses indeed, who rallied together to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this grand event, under the golden sunshine of springtime in Paris. Starting to get the picture? The first day of this year’s event was a delightful prelude. The technical and administrative verifications were conducted without a single snag, smooth as a whistle. And before jumping into five straight days of friendly competition and pure pleasure, en route for Cannes, all of the princesses gathered in the Swiss Life Private Bank lounge for an evening “birthday party” sponsored by Laurenti Champage in honor of the Princesses’ Rally’s 10-year tradition.

Princesses with a heart.

It’s well known that these Princesses have big hearts. Today, during the technical and administrative check-in for the 10th annual Princesses’ Rally, the spotlight was on Paroles de Femmes (women’s words). This NGO, which is led by the journalist Olivia Catta and advocates equal rights for women, received considerable support from notable VIPs from all different walks of life. In addition to the entrance bracelet and the temporary boutique set up just for the occasion, several other initiatives also aimed to raise funds for this worthy feminine cause.

We broke the record!

Sixty-two teams joined the starting line: the Princesses’ Rally’s 10th anniversary was sold out! A wonderful reward for Viviane Zaniroli and her whole team who, by the way, set a new record for enrollments. That proves once again, that women, more than anyone, know how to cope with a crisis: goodbye blues, goodbye stress, hello non-stop fun and friends!

And one, and two, and three Panhard.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their role last year as guides, Florence Dehaine and Eva Jaehrling had a real ball at the wheel of their little Panhard Junior from the Alain Mikli collection. The timeless, designer eyewear company therefore decided to consolidate its support for our event and enrolled two more Panhard Juniors this year! So Florence and Eva are back again, along with Luana Belmondo and Maurizia Purini, as well as Hermine de Clermont Tonnerre and TV show host Valérie Benaïm.

The ‘Vamps’ strut their stuff.

And off-beat humor is not their only trump card. That said, Josiane Seray really did create quite a buzz when she dressed up as a ‘vamp’ for the big check-in day at Place Vendôme. There’s no doubt about it, the driver of the number 73, Lotus Elise R Convertible, will transform into a princess in a flurry of pixie dust at the starting line.

Classic beauties.

Among the oldest of the beauties in this 10th edition of the Princesses’ Rally, were not only the 1953 Singer Roadster 1500 Open and the 1995 MG TF Midget, but also a 1957 Triumph TR3 Roadster and a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, which is sure to give us a stunning show all along the precious little roads of the French countryside.

Sparkling with jewels.

Never two without three, they say! Indeed, having sponsored our event in 2007 and 2008, the famous jeweler from Rue de la Paix, Bijoux Burma, once again honored our Princesses. This year, each Princess received a Collector Bracelet on opening day. And they’ll be awarded additional treasures from the jeweler’s latest collection upon arrival in Cannes.

Five… Mazda MX-5.

From the MK1 to the MK3, twenty years passed. And since we’re not twenty every day, Mazda decided to celebrate the MX-5 (now the world’s most popular convertible, two-seater) in style. So the French importer decided to line up five of its models to join in this 10th anniversary edition of the Princesses’ Rally. One was driven by the expert hands of Cindy Fabre, Miss France 2005, accompanied by the former “Native” singer Chris Mayne, who is preparing to go on tour in France. The four Mazdas were driven by journalists from the all over Europe who came to cover the event.

Little royals.

One of the day’s many exciting activities held on the legendary Place Vendôme was designed especially for the littlest Princesses and their charming Princes. Just like mommy, kids were invited to take a spin at the wheel of the latest mini models by Blanc-Château, including the Porsche 356, the E-Type Jaguar, the Mercedes 300 SL ad the Baby Bugatti….

On the road to Contrexéville.

Bright and early, at 8:30am on this Pentecostal Monday morning, the 62 Princess teams headed out on the first leg to Contrexéville via the forests of Yonne, Châteauvillain and Martigny. A delightful décor for the first Regularity Sectors of this 2009 edition before take a break at the castle in Contrexéville.